Bravo Jailbirds: 17 'Real Housewives' Stars Who Have Been Arrested Over The Years

On Saturday, September 16, The Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador was arrested by Newport Police for drunk driving and hit-and-run. She was booked on two misdemeanors and later released.

"I spent quite a bit of time with Shannon yesterday," Beador's lawyer shared in a statement to Fox News Digital. "She is extremely apologetic and remorseful. We will be awaiting the official information on this case as it becomes available, and Shannon is prepared to accept full responsibility for her actions."

An insider told RadarOnline.com they hoped the 59-year-old's arrest was a "wake-up call," adding she "hit rock bottom." Other sources close to Beador revealed to RadarOnline.com that she broke her arm and injured her face during the incident.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah was sentenced to 78 months, or six and a half years, in prison by a federal judge in January following an almost two-year legal battle.

The saga started in 2021 when she was arrested while filming for season 2, with Homeland Security members and the New York Police Department appearing during the recording, leaving her costars clueless about what was happening.

It was soon confirmed that Shah, who flaunted her money on air, ran a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman said the reality TV star showed no remorse to her victims and that thousands of people were defrauded in her scheme.

She initially did not plead guilty, but she changed her statement in November 2021 and expressed her guilt.

"In 2012 to March 2021 in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere I agreed with others to commit wire fraud," she said in one of the hearings. "I knew this was wrong. I knew many people were harmed and I'm so sorry."

Porsha Williams faced several arrests in 2020, starting in July when she joined protesters outside a home owned by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and showed support for Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was shot and killed by three police officers in March 2020.

She was arrested again in August while attending a peaceful protest in Louisville, Ky., for racial justice in the U.S. Love & Hip Hop: New York star Yandy Smith-Harris was also present in the event.

In October 2020, she turned herself over to the Fulton County Sheriff, where she was booked on a battery misdemeanor charge following a heated argument between her and her The Real Housewives of Atlanta costar Kenya Moore.

Before the year ended, Williams was held in custody again when she participated in a march to seek justice for Taylor.

"We came back to Kentucky to fight for justice for Breonna Taylor, and I am even more upset than the first time because we've already done this," she said in an episode's confessional. "We've already made her name trend again, and [Kentucky Attorney General] Daniel Cameron still hasn't done anything."

RHOC stars Gina and Matthew Kirschenheiter had their fair share of legal headaches in 2019.

Gina was arrested in February 2019 for drunk driving in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., after being stopped for a traffic violation. She was released a few days later.

Four months after the incident, Matthew was booked on domestic violence-related charges two days before Gina requested a protective order against him. According to the jail records obtained by The Blast, his bail at the time of arrest was $0.

The two have since finalized their divorce.

The estranged husband of The Real Housewives of Potomac star Ashley Darby was accused of sexual assault in 2019 after he allegedly groped a cameraman named Orville Palmer and made a "suggestive look" while filming.

TMZ soon reported that he was charged with felony assault on top of the initial improper sexual contact.

The Real Housewives of New York City star Luann de Lesseps received several charges, including disorderly intoxication, battery of an officer, corruption by threat against a public servant, and resisting arrest with violence in 2017.

Palm Beach Post cited a testimony revealing that De Lesseps kicked a police officer while intoxicated and stated, "I'm going to kill you all."

RHONY and High Society star Tinsley Mortimer was put behind bars after police spotted her crying and screaming outside her wealthy ex's Palm Beach home in 2016.

"[She] was crying and screaming irrationally stating that her boyfriend 'Nico' was inside the house with another woman," the police report detailed. "Fanjul stated that he was inside the house with his new girlfriend while Mercer was outside screaming at him."

Due to the incident, she was placed under arrest for trespass following a warning.

In 2016, Karen Huger addressed her arrest for a DUI charge a decade before the interview while she was on her way home. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation afterward.

"I pulled over. Technically I wasn't driving, I was pulled over into a parked area where you should not park," she told BOSSIP. "I turned off the car and I called my husband. However, the teddy bear cops found me first, and I collected my DUI."

As she struggled with substance abuse, Kim Richards also endured arrests for charges including battery, trespassing, public intoxication, and resisting an officer in 2015. She got involved in another legal headache a few months later when she was accused of stealing items from Target.

She pled no contest to one count of petty theft and entered a rehab afterward.

"Before I started the show, life was really good and then, you know, things happened and it wasn't," she told reporters at the RHOBH Season 7 premiere party. "And it wasn't just my relapse that was hard, but I went through a depression as well after that."

Joe and Teresa Giudice, who split in 2019, were indicted on federal fraud charges that included mail and wire fraud, bankruptcy fraud, making false statements on loan applications, and bank fraud.

They were sentenced to 41 months and 15 months in prison, respectively.

"My daughters are my life. I'm more sorry than anyone will ever know. I will make this right no matter what," Teresa said before the sentencing. "I'm really scared I need to learn to do things for myself. It's time for me to wake up."

RadarOnline.com released the mug shots of The Real Housewives of Miami star Marysol Patton and her mother Elsa, which were taken after their arrests for DUI.

She pled guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving, the Florida State's Attorney's Office confirmed.

TMZ reported in 2010 that Brandi Glanville was charged with driving under the influence. At the time of the arrest, her blood alcohol level was higher than .08 percent.

After the event, she posted an apology statement on Twitter – now X – and expressed her regret over what happened.

"I messed up," she wrote. "I take full responsibility for my actions. I regret my bad choice, and am thankful to God that no one got hurt. I'm sorry."

Kelly Bensimon faced misdemeanor assault charges after punching her then-fiancé Nick Stefanov in the face, leaving him with a laceration under his left eye. The New York City Police Department confirmed her arrest on assault charges.

"[Stefanov] is claiming that they were engaged, which is delusional," a source told People. "They have been on-and-off for three to three-and-a-half years, and during that time they were never exclusive. She was always dating other people."

In 2002, Leah McSweeney got involved in a physical altercation outside the Hammerstein Ballroom, during which an NYPD officer smashed her face into a grating and knocked out her teeth.

"I felt him being pulled away from me, and there was five police officers beating him up," she said. "It was really scary. And I had a half-empty plastic water bottle with me and I threw it — not even directly at someone, just threw it in that direction. It was just a total knee-jerk reaction. But it hit a cop in the back."

NeNe Leakes spoke candidly about her experience with the law in her autobiography, Never Make the Same Mistake Twice. She revealed she was arrested in 1992 when she shoplifted in a mall with a friend, receiving charges on misdemeanor and three felony counts of theft of services.

While she pleaded guilty on all four counts, she was arrested again thrice when she violated her probation.

Gawker reported that RHONJ star Danielle Staub and her then-boyfriend were arrested in June 1986 for their involvement in a kidnapping and extortion scheme. They reportedly held a man for ransom after a failed cocaine deal, and the police retrieved six kilos of the substance from the duo, plus $16,000 in cash.